For many years now I have subscribed to Wordsmith.org. Every weekday I am emailed a word of the day, sometimes clever, sometimes esoteric (as in, “Who knew there was a word for that?”), often having a common theme. Posts are written with humor, are often illustrated, and always show how the word is used, along with a thought for the day. It takes only a minute to read each post, and I always leave enlightened and entertained.

Here’s the special part: In celebrating 25 years of Word of the Day, the creator, Anu Garg, is running several word contests, judged by eminent wordsmiths, and promising great prizes. (Oh, how I yearn to win a trip to the UK to visit the site of the Oxford English Dictionary!)

Here is Anu’s description of the contest. See if you’re interested. At the very least, subscribe to Wordsmith.org and painlessly enlarge your vocabulary.

25 YEARS OF WORDSMITH.ORG:
Next week marks 25 years of Wordsmith.org. Founded on March 14, 1994, what began as a way to share my love of words and language has since grown into a community of people in 171 countries!

Thank you for being a part of this community. We love you. And we want to send you to tour the offices of Oxford English Dictionary in Oxford, UK and Merriam-Webster in Springfield, Massachusetts, USA.

CONTESTS:
To celebrate, we are organizing contests with prizes such as those tours. Also, books, dictionaries, and more. wordsmith.org/25years

JUDGES:
Winners will be decided by an international panel that includes Will Shortz (The New York Times Puzzle Editor), Kory Stamper (Executive Director of the Dictionary Society of North America, author, Word by Word), Richard Lederer (author), Lauren Gawne (Dept. of Linguistics, La Trobe University, Australia), Jesse Sheidlower (former editor of the Oxford English Dictionary), Steve Kleinedler (former Executive Editor of the American Heritage Dictionary), Joan H. Hall (Chief Editor of the Dictionary of American Regional English), and others.

HELP US REACH NEWSPAPERS:
Are you a reporter or editor? Do you know of a local columnist, editor, or reporter in your town who’d want to cover this story? Let us know any information you need! Write to us at words@wordsmith.org (see the press release).

HELP US SPREAD THE WORD ON SOCIAL MEDIA:
We need your help in spreading the word. Do you have a blog? We’d love a write-up. Or you can share the contest on social media:
Share the contest on Facebook
Share the contest on Twitter
See it and tag a friend on Instagram

POST A MESSAGE:
David Crystal, author of the Cambridge Encyclopedia of Language, sent this: “For 25 years, Wordsmith.org has been refreshing the linguistic parts other sites have not reached. Congratulations!” Post your own messages here.

SHARE YOUR STORIES:
People have met here and gotten married. Send us your stories — you don’t have to go as far as to get married (-: Share any stories you have, big or small, related to words and language. Write to us at words@wordsmith.org.

CONTESTS

Take part in one or more contests, each judged by a distinguished panel of guest judges. Winners will receive exciting prizes such as word games, books, and more. Enter as many times as you want!